In late September, Xiaomi stepped quietly but deliberately into territory long held by Samsung and Google, unveiling a smartwatch that arrives with the full weight of Google's ecosystem already aboard. The Watch 2 Pro, introduced at a Berlin event, is less a product announcement than a statement of intent — that Xiaomi no longer wishes to wait at the edge of the wearables conversation. For European consumers, it offers a rare thing: a fully integrated Google experience on a non-Google, non-Samsung wrist, available now rather than promised later.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro debuts with Wear OS, Google Assistant in Europe
Google Assistant arrives on day one, not months later
Mark
Why does it matter that Google Assistant is available immediately on this watch, rather than arriving in an update months later?
Mimi
Because it changes the buying decision. When you purchase a smartwatch, you're making a choice about what ecosystem you're entering. If Google's services aren't there on day one, you're either waiting or accepting a lesser version of the device you thought you were buying. Xiaomi is removing that friction.
Mark
The battery life seems remarkable—65 hours on Bluetooth. How does that compare to what people expect from smartwatches?
Mimi
Most mainstream smartwatches give you three to five days. This is nearly three weeks. It's the kind of number that changes how you relate to the device—you're not hunting for a charger every few days. That's a real quality-of-life difference.
Mark
The watch only comes in 46 millimeters. That's a constraint, isn't it?
Mimi
It is. Xiaomi is essentially saying this watch is designed for people with average to larger wrists. If you have a smaller frame, you're out of luck. That's a choice that limits the addressable market.
Mark
Why wouldn't this come to the US?
Mimi
Xiaomi's relationship with the US market is complicated. There are regulatory and geopolitical factors at play. Europe is a more straightforward market for them right now, so that's where they're focusing.
Mark
The health sensors—bioelectrical impedance, dual-band GNSS—these sound like features borrowed from fitness watches. Is this a fitness watch that happens to have Google services, or a smartwatch that happens to track fitness?
Mimi
It's genuinely both. The 150 sports modes and the health measurement capabilities are serious. This isn't a smartwatch with fitness as an afterthought. Xiaomi is building something that competes on multiple fronts at once.
Il Polso
- Xiaomi has broken an unspoken hierarchy in the smartwatch world, delivering Google Wear OS and its full suite of services at launch rather than waiting months for a trickle-down update.
- The 46mm stainless steel case, while handsome, creates a tension for smaller-wristed users who may find the device's ambitions larger than their comfort.
- With 150+ sports modes, bioelectrical impedance health sensors, and dual-band GNSS, the watch is pressing hard against the boundaries of what a mid-range wearable is expected to offer.
- Battery life of up to 65 hours on the Bluetooth model gives Xiaomi a concrete edge to wield against rivals in the same price bracket.
- The watch lands in Europe at €269–€329 but is unlikely to cross the Atlantic, leaving American consumers as observers of a shift they cannot yet participate in.
In late September, Xiaomi stepped quietly but deliberately into territory long held by Samsung and Google, unveiling a smartwatch that arrives with the full weight of Google's ecosystem already aboard. The Watch 2 Pro, introduced at a Berlin event, is less a product announcement than a statement of intent — that Xiaomi no longer wishes to wait at the edge of the wearables conversation. For European consumers, it offers a rare thing: a fully integrated Google experience on a non-Google, non-Samsung wrist, available now rather than promised later.
Xiaomi's Berlin event in late September was nominally about the 13T smartphone series, but the quieter reveal — a smartwatch running Google Wear OS from day one — may prove the more consequential announcement. Until now, the full Google experience on a wearable was effectively reserved for Samsung and Google's own hardware, with other manufacturers left to wait months for ecosystem access. Xiaomi is skipping that queue entirely.
The Watch 2 Pro wraps a 1.43-inch AMOLED display in a stainless steel case with a rotatable crown, drawing visual comparisons to Samsung's Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. It comes in one size — 46 millimeters — which Xiaomi itself acknowledges may overwhelm smaller wrists. Out of the box, users get access to 200+ Play Store apps, Google Wallet, Maps, and Assistant. A remote camera feature is also included, though it only functions when paired with select Xiaomi phones.
Health and fitness credentials are substantial: 150+ sports modes, dual-band GNSS, heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, and bioelectrical impedance sensors measuring body fat, metabolic rate, and bone density. The Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage round out the internals, while 5ATM water resistance makes it swim-capable.
Battery life is among the watch's strongest arguments — 65 hours for the Bluetooth model, 55 for LTE. Pricing starts at €269 for Bluetooth and €329 for LTE. The catch: it's a European launch, with no US release anticipated. For those it can reach, the Watch 2 Pro offers Google's ecosystem without the wait — provided the case fits.
Xiaomi's Berlin event in late September was meant to showcase the Xiaomi 13T smartphone series, but the company also quietly introduced a smartwatch that signals a meaningful shift in how it's positioning itself in the wearables market. The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro arrives with Google Wear OS built in from day one—a distinction that matters more than it might initially seem. Until now, Google Assistant and the full suite of Google services on a smartwatch were largely the domain of Samsung and Google's own devices. Other manufacturers had to wait months after launch for updates that would bring those features to their hardware. Xiaomi is skipping that wait entirely.
The Watch 2 Pro is built around a 1.43-inch AMOLED display housed in a stainless steel case with a rotatable crown and a dedicated shortcut button for navigation. The design borrows from classic wristwatch aesthetics—think of it as occupying the same visual territory as Samsung's Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, with a Parisian hobnail bezel and your choice of either a black case paired with a black rubber strap or a silver case with brown leather. The watch comes in a single 46-millimeter size, which Xiaomi acknowledges may feel oversized for users with smaller wrists.
What you get out of the box is access to more than 200 apps available through the Google Play Store, plus integration with Google Wallet, Google Maps, and Google Assistant. The watch can also capture photos remotely and preview them, though this feature only works when paired with certain Xiaomi phones—the 13 Ultra, 13 Pro, 13, and the newly released 13T and 13T Pro models. For fitness tracking, the device includes over 150 sports modes and dual-band GNSS positioning to ensure accuracy during workouts. It monitors heart rate and blood oxygen levels, tracks sleep quality, and uses bioelectrical impedance sensors to measure body fat percentage, metabolic rate, and bone density.
The battery performance is where Xiaomi is making a real claim. The LTE-enabled version runs for up to 55 hours on a single charge, while the Bluetooth-only model stretches that to 65 hours. Both versions are powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor, paired with 2 gigabytes of RAM and 32 gigabytes of storage. The watch carries a 5ATM water resistance rating, meaning it can handle swimming and shallow-water activities—though it's important to understand that 5ATM is rated for pressures equivalent to about 50 meters underwater, not for actual diving to that depth.
Pricing breaks into two tiers. The Bluetooth-only version starts at €269, roughly $284. The LTE model with an embedded SIM card begins at €329, or about $348. The watch is launching in Europe, but Xiaomi has indicated it's unlikely to reach the United States market. For European buyers looking for a smartwatch that doesn't require months of waiting for Google's ecosystem to arrive, the Watch 2 Pro represents a straightforward entry point—assuming the 46-millimeter case fits your wrist.
Citazioni salienti
The Watch 2 Pro comes with Wear OS and is integrated with Google's suite of popular applications, including Google Wallet, Google Maps, and Google Assistant—capabilities previously reserved for Samsung and Google's wearables only, or at least at launch.— Xiaomi product positioning
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